The Unknown Soldier

He died serving our country
in a land far away
He gave his life for freedom
they buried him today
He loved family more than life
and had to do what he felt was right
To protect them and his country
he joined in the fight
Next time you see a soldier
don't just pass him by
Thank him for his service
he might be the next to die
How great the cost of freedom
how brave those who defend
Protect them, Lord, that they may
come back home again

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Editor’s Note

The number one question our editors receive is—what do the editors and judges look for when judging the contest? The number one answer we give is creativity. Unlike prose, writing composed in everyday language, poetry is considered a creative art and requires a different type of effort and a certain level of depth. Of the thousands of poems entered in each contest, the ones that catch our judges’ eyes are the ones that remove us, even just slightly, from the scope of everyday life by using language that is interesting, specific, vivid, obscure, compelling, figurative, and so on. Oftentimes, poems are pulled aside for a second look based simply on certain words that intrigued the reader. So first and foremost, be sure your poetry is written using creative language. Take general ideas and make them personal. In his infamous book De/Compositions: 101 Good Poems Gone Wrong, W. D. Snodgrass imparts, “We cannot honestly discuss or represent our lives, any more than our poems, without using ideational language.”